QTL Biosystems, LLC Provides Solutions To Detection Of Ricin In Field Samples With Handheld Detector

SANTA FE, N.M. and LEMONT FURNACE, Pa., Feb. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- QTL Biosystems, LLC, a provider of innovative solutions for biodetection, drug discovery, and life science research, announced today that it has released an improved Ricin detection cartridge for the QTL Biosensor 2000 which virtually eliminates false positive results. "Many assay formats struggle with matrix effects and cross reactivity which can result in false positives. The QTL approach greatly reduces these effects, and our design approach has led to a robust assay platform which we have shown to be naturally resistant to interference," notes Dr. Bart Wanders, VP of R&D for Biodetection at QTL Biosystems. "Recent improvements in the Dynamic Surface Generation and Imaging technique have led to new cartridges that yield signals so far above interference signal levels that they virtually eliminate false positives," states Dr. Wanders. The QTL Biosensor 2000 includes tests for pathogens including Anthrax spores, toxins such as Ricin, Botulinum Neurotoxin, Staphylococcal Enterotoxin B, and other threat agents. The system is simple, robust and reliable, and designed for civilian and military first responders, hospital triage personnel, and Haz Mat personnel.

QTL technology provides improvements in sensitivity, speed, simplicity, and ease of use, as well as lower false positives and negatives rates, relative to other currently available systems. The system sets new standards for toxin detection sensitivity in a handheld format. The QTL Biosensor has been developed and tested in conjunction with the U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Command to validate its performance specifications. The QTL Biosensor has been rigorously tested by third party agencies to validate its performance. "QTL has developed an innovative technical approach with a simple cartridge format, resulting in excellent sensitivity combined with an extremely low false positive rate," notes Richard Troiano, Chief Executive Officer for QTL Biosystems. "The QTL Biosensor provides a reliable and simple 'YES' or 'NO' answer to a field responder in less than five minutes without the risk of the high degree of false positives seen in lateral flow assays."

ABOUT QTL BIOSYSTEMS

QTL Biosystems, LLC of Santa Fe, New Mexico, develops and markets bioassays that deliver superior sensitivity, specificity, and speed in simple- to-use formats with low total cost of detection. The Company delivers enzyme activity and protein binding assays for the pharmaceutical and life sciences markets, and Biosensor Systems for first responders, medical triage personnel and military users. Bioassay products are available for the detection of viruses, toxins, bacteria, proteins, hormones, nucleic acids and other biological compounds. The Company's novel technologies integrate its expertise in chemistry, molecular and cell biology and instrumentation.